All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the universe. Peace and blessings be upon his final Messenger, his family, his noble Companions, and all those who follow them with righteousness until the Day of Judgment.
My dear brothers, sisters and children, Assalamwa’alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
As we prepare to pray our Eid-ul Adha salah, it is imperative to reflect on the essence of this auspicious day which reminds us of Hajj, one of the five pillars of our faith. This particular day is crucial in understanding the selfless sacrifices our prophet Ibraheem (AS) and the tests that him (AS) and his family was put through by Allah (swt). Similarly, we all may be going through some tests due to this pandemic. Nonetheless, our Islam is truly beautiful and gives us an opportunity to look for blessings in every situation. Remember, whatever situation we are in, is by the will and order of Allah subhanahu wata’ala, therefore we should thank Allah in every situation.
This occasion also reminds us of the rights of the underprivileged upon us. Our Prophet (sw) told us to take care of the poor, needy, sick and the orphans. This is a good opportunity to seek out the needy in our community and share our Qurbani/Udhiya meat.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your patience during this time of the pandemic. I know it has been difficult not being able to come the masajids as freely as we used to before. The BCMA is in regular communication with our Provincial Health and Alhamdulillah the new guidelines to utilize separate spaces at the same location came at a very opportune time. However, the physical distancing and other rules remain the same for the safety of everyone in our community.
On this auspicious day, I must acknowledge all our elders and members of our community who were amongst us last Eid but have sadly departed from this world. Most notably, one of our BCMA Life members, Br. Sher Khan, who was a long-time volunteer of our association, and a past chairperson of Masjid Rahmah, the BCMA Surrey East Branch. Mahroom Sher Khan was very crucial in the inception of our Surrey Muslim School and he left behind a legacy through his volunteer activities for the BC Muslim Community. We pray that Allah swt forgives him and all our deceased and give them all the best place in Jannah, Ameen.
Before I sign off, I would like to sincerely thank all our Masajid committee members and volunteers who work with sincerity to regularly clean, disinfect, organize, and maintain our places of prayer even in these difficult times. We, as a community should appreciate their efforts and make dua for all of them. May Allah swt accept all their good deeds and keep everyone in our community, our country, and the whole world safe, Ameen.
Eid Mubarak to you all.
ILTAF Sahib
President – The BC Muslim Association